


When They Were Younger

by Derae



Series: Other Tales of a Cat and a Crow [2]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: Alternate Universe, Antiva City (Dragon Age), Childhood, F/M, First Meetings, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Tags Are Hard
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-30
Updated: 2020-03-30
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:41:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,281
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23401660
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Derae/pseuds/Derae
Summary: A young Kallian visits Antiva City with her Father and meets a certain Crow Recruit.Another Spin-off of my reincarnation fic.
Relationships: Zevran Arainai/Female Tabris, Zevran Arainai/Female Warden
Series: Other Tales of a Cat and a Crow [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1616533
Kudos: 6





	When They Were Younger

Training for the Crows was grueling… but far better than simply dying, he supposed.

Still, his aching muscles were not happy with him… he couldn’t wait until he was no longer a Crow recruit, but an actual Crow.

“BWAGH!” a Voice shrieked as he heard a crash behind him, “owwie ow ow…”

When he turned around, he saw the booted legs of a person— female, judging by the bits of skirt he could see— draped over the lip of a crate, bent at the knees… someone… had fallen into the crate…?

He watched their arms frantically reach up, awkwardly trying to grab at the edges of the crate, likely to pull themselves out before hearing an exhausted sigh of resignation.

“Well… I guess this is how I die,” the Voice sighed.

He could tell from the way she spoke that she wasn’t Antivan and curiously, he moved to peer into the crate. An Elven girl with scarlet hair and emerald eyes gazed back up at him, arms neatly folded on her abdomen… from what he could tell, they were around the same age, though perhaps a year or two younger.

“Would you… like some help…?” he asked raising a brow.

“I generally make it a point not to trust strangers, especially in foreign countries,” the Girl replied, “but I think circumstances demand I make an exception.”

“I could leave you here, if you’d rather,” he replied.

“Nah, dying of starvation sounds like a terrible way to go,” the Girl replied, “actually… I’d probably die of dehydration first.”

“Give me your hand,” he replied reaching into the crate and she placed her hand in his and he pulled her out of the crate.

“Thank you,” the Girl smiled at him brightly before introducing herself, “my name is Kallian.”

She was… beautiful.

Having grown up in a whorehouse and recruited into the Crows, he had seen his fair share of beautiful people, but she was one of the most beautiful he’s ever seen.

“I thought you made it a point not to trust strangers?” he asked.

“Well, you did rescue me from that crate,” Kallian replied lightly kicking the crate, “common courtesy suggests that I, at the very least, introduce myself.”

“I see… my name is Zevran,” he replied introducing himself, “how did you fall into that crate?”

“I miserably slipped and fell,” Kallian replied pointing up at a nearby roof, “from there.”

“What were you doing up there?”

“People watching while staying out of the way and more or less safe,” Kallian answered, “Father told me to explore the city for a little, but that didn’t sound safe to me.”

“But sitting on a roof did?” he asked as they began walking through the streets.

The girl was charming, and he couldn’t help himself.

If someone attacked them… he could probably fend them off… maybe.

“Yep.”

“So, where are you from?”

“The Denerim Alienage in Ferelden… my Mother died while my Father was at work, so now he’s afraid that he’ll return to Denerim to find out that I died too… so I got brought along.”

“Oh… I— I am sor—” he began but Kallian spun around and pressed a finger to his lips.

“Don’t apologize for things that aren’t your fault,” Kallian grinned before spinning back around, her skirt swaying with her movements, “otherwise everything suddenly becomes your fault, and it’s not fair to the ones whose fault it actually is.”

“What should I stay instead, then?”

“‘You have my condolences for your loss’, is generally my go-to.”

“What’s the difference?”

“When you offer someone your condolences, you’re sympathizing with their pain… saying ‘I’m sorry to hear that’, on the other hand, makes me wonder if I should just never tell anyone these things… and ‘I’m sorry that happened’… well, people die, and people cry. It’s a fact of life… things happen. If there were no death, then there could be no life. Y’know?”

“I suppose I can see the logic in that.”

“Of course, no one wants to hear a thirteen-year-olds attempt at wisdom.”

Ah, they were two years apart, then.

They walked the streets of Antiva City chatting about whatever came to mind… he learned that she’d just arrived in Antiva this morning and that she’d only be staying a week. And he kept his being a Crow recruit a secret… someone like her shouldn’t be mixed up in their business… no, she was pure and innocent, shining brightly as the sun.

Eventually, they parted ways as she had to return to her Father… he secretly followed her. He wanted to know more about her, wanted to speak with her again, wanted to see her again… and he could only do so for the week. After memorizing where she was staying, he returned to the apartment the Crows had given him.

***

She had absolutely no clue why Zevran had followed her back to the estate they were staying at, but he did… well, he didn’t seem sketchy, so it was probably inconsequential.

Plus, she could probably take him.

Still, Antiva was very _very_ different than Ferelden… what shocked her most, however, was that Antivan sounded shockingly similar to Italian, so she could understand snippets of conversation in the hustle and bustle of the place.

“Thank you again, my Lord,” she said with a bow, “for allowing me to come with you.”

“Yes… thank you,” Cyrion nodded.

“No, no,” Rodolf replied, “after what happened to your wife… I understand why you would be concerned.”

She wouldn’t have minded if he left her in Ferelden with Valendrian. She was capable of behaving and staying safe for a week… probably. Though she knew that that wasn’t the only reason he brought her: it was also because he didn’t want to impose too much on Valendrian who’s busy with their entire community.

A role she was fairly likely to inherit regardless of whether or not she wanted to.

Well, whatever, though this city was home to a surprising amount of sketchy people, and all out in the open too. Part of her wondered if she’d be safer in Denerim than here: she had sensed herself being followed so she had disappeared into an alley and jumped onto a roof. It had been a good idea, the men who were following her followed her into the alley and found it empty.

She hadn’t packed clothes to make her look like a boy, either… which was why she had been on that roof. She hadn’t lied to Zevran: she had been people watching and then when she’d moved to return to the estate, her foot slipped and she landed in a crate. 

Again. 

Honestly, she was worried that someone with ill intentions was going to find her… luckily, it didn’t seem like sex and Human… Elven? Trafficking was on Zevran’s mind. 

She really lucked out there.

…It might have actually been safer and smarter to have left her in Ferelden, not that they could do anything about it now.

She’s decently smart, athletic, and vigilant, so she’ll just have to keep her guard up and be more careful than usual.

“How was your stroll around the city?” Cyrion asked.

“Uneventful,” she answered with a lie, “though… it’s so… extravagant here. It’s nothing like Denerim.”

“That’s true,” Cyrion chuckled, “now then, why don’t you go to sleep? I’m sure you must be tired.”

“A little,” she yawned as she got into bed.

Her Father tucked her in, something he hasn’t done in years… she was a little old for things like that, after all.

“Good night, my little girl,” Cyrion said kissing her forehead.

“Good night, Father,” she replied before closing her eyes and falling asleep.


End file.
